we're here because we didnt get in the us. worry less about your parents and pedigree as move into the realm of worrying about being a good doc. its more important. I hope you dont need to go offshore. its suboptimal.

BTW if you date people who are interesting, what they do for a living wont determine how bored you get.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

I'm not worried about my "pedigree", my grams says i'm an american heathen anyways. If only it were that simple, I'm afraid the 'rents won't pay for med-school. The oldest rule in the history books: their money, their rules.

I agree, it depends on the person, not on their career, buttttt if you are with other doctors you can't complain about what a hard day at work you've had. They'd just be like, oh ya, well if you think that's bad I....

vs. non-doc = there, there

if they wont pay, take out loans like most people do. as for how relationships work at the end of a hard day in real life... ooooooohboy.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

why should i take out a loan, if i can make my life easier by getting them to pay half. If you're gonna say honor and whatnot, I'm ok with being a little dishonest with them. Debbbbttttt is every person's nightmare. I have vowed never, ever to be in it again, unless all decent options are closed.

if your parents agree to help you out I think that's reasonable. (im not ok with being dishonest with good parents but if they want to help you defrey the cost without too much strain to themselves, that's fair). but if they withold based on the school you get into, well, then if you want to be a doctor you suck it up and take out loans. also, there is a difference in different types of dept (educational, mortgage, car loan or credit card). some are investments. others are sinks.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

my bad experience was credit card. I'm not saying they're bad parents. They're great as far as taking care of me, it's just with them it's my way or no way. I do want to be a doc bad enough. I have a back up plan. Part-time medical coding, should be certified by the time I graduate from high school. Is that a realistic plan, as in will it actually work? It pays pretty well and you don't have to "go" to work, just work 2hrs or so from home every day. Plus work-study if i can fit it in.

debt is nearly unavoidable unless your parents make big $$$.

The important thing is for you right now not to be looking to make money, but if medicine is really your goal, to be studying as hard as you can. Getting into medical school is a numbers game. The higher your GPA, the better your chances. So in college, high grades should be your absolute priority, not living a debt free lifestyle.

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well youre young and the good thing is that you learned your lesson early. consider that a real plus. the average american credit card dept is a few thousand. and this is in adults. you should ALWAYS pay off a credit card right away. I dont mean this as an insult or a pat on the head- but youre very young in terms of experience right now. (we all are at one point). What you will see is that 20% credit card debt is one thing; an educational loan debt at a more reasonable rate, in return not for a TV or some disposable commodity that loses value over time, but rather an education that will let you earn more in the long run (ie pay off the loan and have a higher income from having spent the money for the education) is another thing altogether. Its an investment. Im not sure what youre planing with the medical coding. You mean to save money? Its nice if you can. dont shirk youre education or grades for it. Save what you can, get into a nice school in the us. if your parents refuse to help pay for your medical education, take out loans. youll be able to pay them off someday. if youre really good youll go to a state school and have very little to pay.

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Steph
If you get a warning, put on yer manpants and stop whining about it.

who said you shouldn't do both? Change decades of crummy finance help for those planning to become docs... Start a new trend so that pre-med advisers or those who are already doctors will actually help the student. Instead of letting the future docs... DROWN in debt, there should be a better way. As for grades, I treat each and every class as a future marker of how many patients I don't kill. How many lives I make better.

Yes, but med school is so hard and after you're done with it, you should be able to look forward to a great career. What kind of a way is it to start it off with so much debt piled up. What do you education loan debt is more reasonable? I'd rather not be one of those people I kno who face 100 K or more.